True Immortality
True Immortals are Supernaturals who are created by the collective faith of an entire Tribe. They are powered by Kenosis, and are created through a powerful mystical encounter with God. Unlike Nazoreans, their primary abilities are not Invocation but instead some other unique set of powers. Alliance of the Four Lions Adept Chapters The Others Lore Twilight Martial Traditions The Tribes of True Immortals: The Arians The Athanatoi The Essenes The Hanif The Heru The Marauders The Nazoreans The Pharisee The Saracens The Sadducee The Sicarii The Zealots The Minor Tribes Facts: -Unless stated otherwise, a True Immortal can be killed by taking damage, the same as any mortal man. However, most Immortals possess powers that heal them, or they can only be killed in a certain way. -You'll notice that all of the True Immortals hail from somewhere within the Judeo-Christian tradition. Coincidence? -In mortal society, the elders lose their physical strength with age. With Immortals, it is the reverse. Immortal society is quite robust and well organized, with the leaders of the Tribes being both wiser and stronger (generally speaking, at least). Small wonder that many Immortals come to look upon the mortals as barbarians compared to them. -Because they have been raised from the dead by the power of Kenosis, True Immortals may be more susceptible to the powers of a Resurrectionist or Necromancer. -You'll notice that some of the lesser well-known Tribes stem not from recognized religions but from secret societies. This is because a secret society in itself often takes on the form of a religion, with a founder who serves as Patriarch and a general body of teachings from which the Immortals gain their basic nature and powers. Patriarchs: A Patriarch is a holy person who attained a close and powerful bond with God, so powerful that it transformed them into immortal beings, immortals who can keep their immortality by continuing to follow their religious habits. Through following the teachings of such a person, other people may share in their unique nature through a metaphysical link to the founder of the Tribe. In addition to being immortal, True Immortals will also quickly develop a set of basic specific powers based on the characteristics of their tribal Patriarch. Tribes: Each Tribe is dependent on a founder for their existence, although the Patriarch need not still be on Earth (indeed, most are in Heaven). Each Tribe corresponds with a Religion (called a Tribe) which is the pool from which their members come. Revenalogy: The study of the Immortals is known as Revenalogy, and those who study it are Revenalogists. It also includes the study of non-Immortal Revenants (a Revenant is anyone who has died and returned from the dead). These include Zombies, mortals who have experienced an NDE (near death experience), a Dhampir, and more. Revenalogy is a favorite passtime of many high ranking members of the Tribes. In the modern age some have even taken Revenalogy and organized conferences where leading and popularly recognized experts in the field give lectures and hopeful newcomers can mingle with experienced elders. Others have performed 'investigations' into tombs or castles reported to be the final resting places of historically important Immortals (it should be noted that such an undertaking is fraught with danger and so heightened security is often a priority for such expeditions). People with high levels of Revenalogy will know the strengths and weaknesses of each True Immortal Tribe or Undead. They will also know much of the history of each specific Revenant, including their present state, historical incidents related to them, etc. Retainers: Retainers are simple to understand: they are mortals who have been formally indoctrinated into the world of the Immortals, and thus the supernatural. Retainers can be anyone, they can be in any life situation, and they exist in all parts of the world. Some Retainers are the mortal descendants of an Immortal - this is the case with many of the Great Families - and some are the lawyers, doctors, and business associates of the Everliving. For whatever reason, they have been allowed to peer past the veil and see the world as it really exists. The act of making a mortal into a Retainer is regulated by each Tribe individually. Usually, a Nazorean will seek permission from their Regent before doing so. As always, there are exceptions to this rule. Some Immortals, the Vampyre especially, are fond of "branding" their Retainers with tattoos or other body-marks, the better to keep track of them. The Theist Tribes look down on this and follow more humane traditions: they usually keep archives of their Retainers, and if any mortal is caught breaking the Concord, their identifying information is run through the archives for any matches. Those mortals who are found to be Retainers are then punished with imprisonment in special bastilles located in remote areas across the world. Renown: Among the True Immortals there is a system of honor that allows the society of True Immortals to have some form and organization despite its members coming from rival Tribes. The tradition of this system, known more popularly as Renown, stretches back into the mists of prehistory, but its practice is near universal among the True Immortals. Put simply, Renown is the the rank someone achieves from defeating other Immortals in trials. The most common trial by far is Combat, but other forms of Trials do exist. Not all of the True Immortals participate in it. Those who do must first announce their intentions to join the Renown system and then start winning matches against others. If they defeat an opponent of an equal or higher Renown rank, they themselves will go up one rank. Matches are supposed to be non-lethal, but accidents do tragically occur. However, an Immortal who consistently breaks the rules or kills their opponent can have their offer refused by someone else and they will not lose face for it. Thus, killing opponents consistently is a fast way to get oneself kicked out of the Renown system. There are exceptions to the no-kill rule. In times of war, it is popularly acceptable for an Immortal to stem the blood flow of a battle by challenging an enemy leader (who is an Immortal) to combat to see who wins. The loser's side must surrender or retreat. This way, only one person dies instead of having a pitched battle in which many lives are lost. The purpose of the Renown system is to give Storytellers or players an excuse to have a battle royal style game where advanced warriors fight each other. The nature and terms of the Trial should be agreed upon before combat, and witnesses should be present who can testify as to who won. How Renown Status Works: The Renown system can best be used as a simple points system. You start out as Rank 1 and then go either up or down one depending on whether you win or lose a match. If you defeat a particularly powerful foe, you might go up 3 or even 5 Ranks, although that should be rare. This is only a system for Storytellers, in the real life of the characters the Renown system is more of a vague, socially-agreed upon system like in fighting sports like boxing. Renown is more of a public perception than anything as concrete as a points system. An Immortal with a higher Rank will be more socially popular, will be treated with respect by other Immortals of equal or lesser Rank, and can expect to have their opinion carry more weight. This will also make them more of a hero among the members of their own Order. Hidden Technology: Immortals have always had technology, for as long as they themselves can remember. Stories of prehistoric machines in Greece or batteries in Babylon, electric lights in ancient Egypt... the True Immortals has always had groups within them that have developed tech light years ahead of the rest of the world. Immortals believe that giving people advanced tech before they know how to use it is wrong, it's the equivalent of handing a loaded gun to a toddler. Bad things tend to happen. Most of them believe that they can help the mortals with technology they already posses, or will soon posses, but they shy away from handing over advanced tech to those who may not know how to use it. The Immortal's Paradox: Two men are sitting in a room with a single door, one of them is an Immortal and the other a mortal. There is a bomb set to explode within ten minutes. The door is a magic door that will only allow one of them to leave, it will only allow the man with the most to lose to leave the room and escape with his life. Who should get to leave? The Immortal? The mortal man has but a single lifetime to live. The mortal? The Immortal has all of eternity to lose? The Deadening: The Deadening is what Immortals call the effects of the passage of time on their minds. Immortals must struggle to stay connected in an ever changing world of mortal things, else they begin to slowly lose their humanity and become little more than undying machines in human form. Historical Reenactments: Immortals tend to careers and occupations that deal in the subject of History (no real surprise there). Historical Reenactments are especially fond to them because it gives them a chance to relive the days of times past. And considering how much money an Immortal can generate over the span of time, many historical plays patroned by Immortals are rarely lacking in funds. -http://www.parenfaire.com/ -http://www.gettysburgreenactment.com/ -http://www.worldwartwohrs.org/ Glossary of Terms: -Patriarch / Matriarch = The Founder of a Tribe of True Immortals. -Renown = The system of rank and status among True Immortals from achieving victory in various Trials. -Retainer = A mortal ally employed by a True Immortal. Retainers are all Initiated and therefore are fully aware of the world of the Supernaturals. -Revenalogy = The study of Revenants, which broadly covers both the True Immortals and the all kinds of Undead. -Trial = A test or duel between two or more True Immortals to achieve Renown. -True Immortal = A person who has found immortality by becoming soul linked to a Patriarch. References: -http://www.religionfacts.com/ -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtY_wkooCLM